Amusement game apparatus.



s. HUMMERSON.' AMUSEMBNT GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED M'AY 24, 19-12 1, @47,63% A l Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

Z' u if' WHNESSES.- v 5 7g {NVE/WOR:

ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA FLANDGRAPH co..\vAsHlNG1*'oN. D. c.

a citizen of the United States, residing SAMUEL Huivnvnmsoiv, 'orgrnnIANAroLrs INDIANA.,y

AMUsEMENrGAiuE Arrnrui'rus.l i

4 specification ony Letters Patent.

Patented` Dec'. 17, 1912.

Application med May 24,f1e12. sriar N0.s99,45o.*

To allwwm it may comme:

Be it knownthat I, SAMUEL HUMMERsoN, at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion yand State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Amusement Game i Apparatus, of

" which the following is a specification, ref-` erencebeing had to the accompanying .draw-y ings, and to the letters and ligures of'reference marked thereon. Y This invention relates to games requiring the'exercise of skill and judgment on the party of play-ers, the inventionhaving reference 4more particularly to game apparatusV designed for competitive playing.

. vAn object of the invention is to, provide new and useful game Iapparatus ythat will afford means for amusementoffone or more 'persons and which shall be so constructed as ple so ias to be easily learned,` while requir'-,r ing more or less practice iny order to' play skilfully. s f

A still furt-her object" is toprovide simple and cheaply.constructedgame apparatus that t shallbe calculated to hold'the interestof players, andbe durable in use.- ,l

With the above mentioned and other objects iny view, the invention'consists inja table provided with a novel arrangement `ofguideways for guiding balls, drivers mounted on the table for giving momentum tothe balls', a series ofblocks vupon thetable to be pushed over by the balls, and troughs supported by the table for guidingthe 'spent balls back approximately to the starting place; and the invention consists further: in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafterparticularly `described and claimed. j 1

Referring tothe drawings, `Fgurey'l is a top plan of the new game apparatus; Fig. 2, aside elevation of the table partially broken away; Fig. 3, transverse sectiony approximatelyon the line A A in Fig. l; Figli, a fragmentary sectionreproducing portions of Fig. kSon an enlarged scale; Fig. 5, a sectional elevation of one i of the drivers, and ig. 6, ay fragmentary top plan vof a vportion of the table on an enlarged scale. i

Similar reference' characters lin the several figures of the drawings indicatecorresponding elements or `features of construction hereinreferred to.

As preferably constructedllthe"table or i game boardvcomprises two side rails 1 Jand 2 of suitable klength to the under sides of which two cross-bars 3jand-4 aresecured at suitable 'distances from the ends of the rails,

`to constitute the main portion of a frame provided at one side with two supporting legs 5 and 5 and at the op osite side with similar legs 6, a guard rail I7D supported preferablyby means of brackets 8 and 9 at a suitablevr distance outward'from the rail 1, the guard rail preferably being somewhat higher than the plane of the rails 1 and 2. vA head board 10 is secured upon the rails land 2 at one end thereof and preferably providedwith ledges 11 and 12 yon opposite edges thereof, the opposite ends ofi the side bars having a board.` 18 secured thereon. Aftrack board 14 is secured upon the rail 2'and a similar board 15 is secured upon the rail 1, and they are continuous with a curved track' board 16 supportedpartially -upon therails and partially uponthe board 13 to form the bottom of a continuous guideway, there being a relatively j broaderl track board'l extending continuously from the board 14 to the 'ledge 12. 18 is secured to theouter side of the board 14e, areversely Lcurved guide rail 19 extendbeing suitably A guide rail j i i ingfrom the rail '18 toward the ledge 12, a y

straight portion 20 extending from the curved rail portion 19'to the ledge.

A curved guide rail 21 extends from the rail 18 on the curved bo-ard 16 and has a terminating end22 adjacently to the cross-bar 4. A straight guide rail portion 23 is secured upon the board portion 17 opposite o the rail portion 20 and a reversely curved guide )rail portion 24: extends therefrom to the board portion 14ev to constitute a channel for guiding'a yball,lthe .inneredge of the board-14 having a molding or bead 25 there? on extending opposite the guide rail 18 from the rail portion 24 to the curved board 16. A straightstrip of molding 26 is secured upon theboard 15 in' a plane at one `side of the terminal. end '22 and it has an outwardly,r l

. of the cross-bar 3. The moldings 26 and 29 constitute ribs to form a channel or groove for guiding the balls. Two other moldings 31 and 32 are secured upon the board 15 at suitable distances apartI and outwardly beyond the molding 26 to constitute another guideway for balls. Two suitable guide heads 33 and 33 preferably are secured upon the head board 10 and two rods 34 and 34 are mounted therein, respectively, so as to slide longitudinally to constitute drivers for starting the balls, one of the rods being arranged in the entrance of the guideway formed by the guide rails 20 and 23 and the other at the entrance of the guideway formed by the ribs 31 and 32. The rods preferably are provided with cushioned heads 35 and 35, respectively, and each rod is provided with a retracting spring 36 which is suitably connected thereto and also to the guide head.

A frame bar 37 is supported on the crossbars 3 and 4 and extends approximately midway between the rails 1 and 2. Aboard constituting an inclined plane 38 is supported on suitable blocks 39 and 40 arranged upon the cross-bars 3 and 4 respectively, the plane extending from the board 15 downward to the bar 37. A suitable number of blocks 41, 41, are arranged uprightly o-n the bar 37 and connected thereto by means of hinges 42 arranged at the farther side of the blocks from the lower end of the plane, so that the blocks may be pushed away from the plane to prone position. The blocks preferably are arranged in series with spaces between the different series to permit balls to pass between the different series, all being in a row at the foot of the plane. Preferably each block has a suitable numeral 43 on the side thereof that faces toward the plane so that points made in the game may be counted if desired. Hinge blocks 44 are arranged on the cross-bars 3 and 4 adjacent to the farther side of the bar 37 from the foot of the plane 38. A setting-bar 45 is normally arranged on the cross bars 3 and 4 adjacent to the bar 37 and is notched to receive the hinge blocks and is connected to the hinge blocks by means of hinges 46 and 46, so that when the blocks 41 are knocked down upon the setting-bar 45, the sett-ing blocks form continuations of the inclined plane and may be again raised to normal position by means of the setting-bar which may be swung on its hinges to lift them up from prone position.

A suitable number of balls 47, 47 47, are required. Ivory billiard balls preferably are employed and are of such diameter that they cannot pass on the two parallel guideways at the upper end of the inclined plane, it being designed that in an effort to pass, one or the other must force the opposing one oft' of its guideway or track. A suitable trough is provided for receiving the balls when their force is spent, and preferably a trough 48 composed of canvas is connected to the frame so as to extend from one side rail to the other and from the head board 10 to the board 13, the middle portion of the canvas being slitted and having a stiffening piece 49 secured in the slit so as to form a straight inclined chute in the bottom of the trough to guide the balls downwardly to the head end of the table. Preferably a separate canvas trough 50 is connected to the board 15 and the guard rail 7 for guiding some of the balls back to the driver 34. rlhe rail 7 preferably has a side board 51 thereon provided with a cover 52 extending over to the terminal end portion 22 of the guide rail 21, the cover being connected with the trough 50 to form a stop pocket for balls going into the trough 50.

In practical use the player places a ball against the driver 34 and another ball against the driver 34 and then strikes the cushioned head 35 a blow which drives the ball outward to and around the loop, and then acting on his best judgment the player strikes the head 35 a blow and thereby forces the remaining ball outward to meet the incoming ball on opposite guideways or tracks. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that an incoming ball 47 is met by an outgoing ball 47 and that since the balls cannot pass it is evident either one or both of the balls must be dislodged, the ball moving at the higher speed usually forcing the other ball off. If a ball is forced from the return guideway or track when adjacent the inclined plane it will roll down the plane and knock over one of more of the blocks 41, or may pass through between two series of blocks and fall on the bar 45 and then roll off into the trough 48. 1f the ball is not adjacent to the inclined plane it may be driven off of its guideway directly into the trough. 1f the outgoing ball 47 is forced od of its track while the opposite ball continues on its way to the deflecting guide 28 and thence into the trough 48, the ball 47 is forced over into the trough 50 and returns therein to the head end of the table.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Game apparatus including a table, a plurality of blocks arranged in a row upon the table, an inclined plane on the table extending downward to one side of the row of blocks, and two parallel guidewaysv on the table extending along the upper end of the inclined plane. p l v 2. Game apparatus including a table having two parallel guideways thereon, one oit'y y the guideways having a loopedapproaching guldeway connected therewith, a plane yon the table extending downward from one 0f around one end of the row of blocks and also 'e opposite the row from the plane, yand a guideway on the table beyond lthe higher `end of the plane and the guideway thereat.

, 4:. Game apparatus including a table` an inclined plane on the table, a plurality of blocks hingedly supported uprightly on the table in a row at the foot of the plane and movable to prone position, a settingbar hingedly supported on the table adjacent to the foot of the plane for supporting the blocks in prone posltion and raising thev blocks to normal uprightposition, two parallel guideways on the t-able adjacent to the top of the plane and having approaches provided with. drivers, andv ytwo balls to be` started by thedrivers on the approachesand thence to the guideways in Opposite directions, the balls being of such size as toinv terfere on the guideways. t y

Game apparatus including ay table yhaving two parallel guideways thereon, one of the guideways having a looped approaching guideway connected therewith, two Inova-ble f drivers mounted on ythe table, one driver being at the inlet end of the approaching guideway, the other driver being at the inlet end of the remaining one ofthe parallel guideways,an inclined, plane extending downward fromone of the parallel guideways, a' plurality' of blocks movably vsupported on the table at the foot ofthe plane,

blocks and the inclined plane. c p p In testimony whereof, I ailix Lmy signature in presencel of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

p E. T. SILvIUs, y y P. A. HAVELICK.

Copies of this patent'niayk be obtained for tive cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

, v Washington, D. C, v

-50 and two troughs supported under the table f at opposite `sides Vofthe parallel guideways one of the `troughs extending` under the SAMU-EL HUMMERsoN. 

